From Marblehead to Cambodia - Yetter’s guide to living life across the world

Tuesday

Aug 6, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 6, 2013 at 6:15 AM

Gabrielle Yetter, wife of former Marblehead Reporter editor, Frank Yetter, a.k.a. Skip, has written the Amazon instant best-seller, “The Definitive Guide to Moving to South East Asia: Cambodia.” This guidebook incorporates the best advice in discovering and possibly moving to Cambodia, something Yetter experienced firsthand a few years ago.

Melanie Potter / marblehead@wickedlocal.com

If ever you’ve contemplated abandoning life as you know it and moving across the world to a place you’ve never been, the person to consult would be Gabrielle Yetter.

Yetter, wife of former Marblehead Reporter editor, Frank Yetter, a.k.a. Skip, has written the Amazon instant best-seller, “The Definitive Guide to Moving to South East Asia: Cambodia.” This guidebook incorporates the best advice in discovering and possibly moving to Cambodia, something Yetter experienced firsthand a few years ago.

Married shy of six years now, the Yetters honeymooned in Thailand, where they fell in love with Asia. By 2010, the couple decided to leave their home in Marblehead, purchasing one-way tickets to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

In preparation of their move, the Yetters sold their home, got rid of their cars, found a new home for their cat and gave away most of their belongings. They were on their way to an adventure, with open minds as they took flight.

Yetter’s guide begins much the same as the couple experienced personally — with a familiarization of Cambodia’s geography and history. Yetter takes you from its origins all the way to the current Prime Minister Hun Sen. One thing a novice traveler would appreciate are the “hot tips” she includes throughout the book. Scattered generously throughout, these tools are words only an experienced eye could offer.

Yetter explains how all her tips come from trial and error, from a time when she and Skip first arrived in Cambodia and “just jumped right in,” she says. They wandered the streets, talked with locals and joined associations.

“It was really just all experiential,” says Yetter during a recent visit back to Marblehead. “I made this book to help travelers cut the corners that I couldn’t. It’s a book filled with tips that I’ve found helpful, that will be now be passed onto you.”

One “hot” topic discussed in the book is the weather in Cambodia. According to Yetter, there are two seasons: one is hot; the other is rainy and hot. The cooler time of year is between November and February, when it may drop just below 80. During this season, Yetter jokes that while all the locals walk around in coats, mittens and scarves, with our tough New England skin, there is no need to pack warm clothes. She says she’s only worn socks three times in the last three years. The rainy season, from March until November, is when torrential downpours are a regular occurrence.

“Although it’s a bother to get around in the rain, my husband and I love it,” says Yetter. “It’s tremendous and so beautiful.”

While the weather is perpetually tropical, the country of Cambodia is constantly changing and evolving. More specifically, the capital city of Phnom Penh is becoming modernized before the Yetters’ eyes.

“In the three years we’ve lived in Phnom Penh, we’ve seen the city come alive,” says Yetter. “There are more restaurants, shopping stores, coffee shops sprouting up — even WiFi is everywhere.”

Along with the warm sun, the people of Cambodia provide a warm welcome. Yetter says Cambodian natives are the friendliest and most wonderful people she has ever met. She instantly fell in love with the people’s friendly nature.

She says, “There is no prejudice or hostility towards outsiders, whatsoever. I’ll be riding down the street and a homeless person sitting in dirt on the side of the road will look up at me and smile. It’s very humbling.”

So whether you’ve been yearning for a life change, or just a weeklong vacation, Yetter’s guidebook will provide you with the knowledge to become an expert international traveler.

Don’t be scared off by the “third world country” stigma, for much of it is just rumors and fear. No one I’ve known has ever gotten malaria or any other crazy disease, so keep an open mind. Of course, there are some shots you do need to get and precautions to take, but no need for every shot and medication under the sun.

Bring less than you were planning to. Everything in Cambodia is so inexpensive that you could basically go with nothing and be perfectly fine. Everything you need is available here, for dirt-cheap.

Spend time with local people. Some of our best experiences have been visiting our tuktuk driver in his home or cooking dinner for him and his nine other relatives who unexpectedly showed up.

Slow down. Engage. Go for a walk in your neighborhood. Talk to people along the way. Have a conversation with a tuktuk driver instead of brushing him off.

Be open and receptive to anything. Nothing is what it is expected to be, so you must take everything with a sense of humor and grain of salt.